The tense penalty shootout victory against South Korea U23 in the third-place match of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship concluded a memorable journey for Vietnam U23, while also opening a new historical milestone for the country's youth football.
Not only did they win third place in the continent for the first time, the "Golden Star Warriors" also set a record for the most goals scored by the Vietnam U23 team in an Asian U23 tournament.
Quoc Viet and Dinh Bac are the two players who scored against South Korea U23 - Photo: Ted Tran
The opening goal in the 30th minute, scored by Quoc Viet after a delicate assist from Dinh Bac, brought the total number of goals for Vietnam U23 in the tournament to 9, surpassing the 8 goals scored by the 2018 Changzhou generation.
In the 71st minute, Dinh Bac's superb free-kick helped his team reach 10 goals, officially setting a new record for goal-scoring efficiency in the U23 Asian Championship.
Despite conceding an equalizer in injury time and having to play two extra periods before a penalty shootout, the Vietnam U23 team still showed remarkable resilience.
The players successfully converted their penalties, while goalkeeper Cao Văn Bình made a decisive save, paving the way for Thanh Nhàn to score accurately and seal a thrilling 7-6 victory.
Compared to the miraculous achievement in Changzhou in 2018, the 2026 U23 team shows significant progress in terms of squad depth and attacking capabilities.
Ten goals against top continental opponents are proof of the sustainable development of Vietnamese youth football, and also lay an important foundation for future generations.
Watch the entire 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship Finals on TV360 at https://tv360.vn
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/u23-viet-nam-vuot-moc-lich-su-thuong-chau-sau-chien-thang-han-quoc-2483465.html
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